Educator, Writer, Researcher
Book Projects
I’m currently writing two complementary books that explore how schools shape who we become.
Do No Harm: The Hidden Psychology of Power, Identity, and Belonging in Schools examines the deep psychological forces that govern modern education—how systems built on control and performance can unintentionally harm the very people they aim to help.
Its companion for a wider audience,
Reteaching Humanity: How the Race to the Top Left Behind the Heart and Mind, brings these ideas to life through stories from my own classrooms, revealing how teachers and students can rediscover connection, meaning, and humanity in the everyday work of learning.
Together, these books argue that education is never neutral: it either nurtures or it wounds—and it’s time to build schools that heal.
Dissertation Work
I am preparing for doctoral study in psychology, where I will investigate how belonging, identity, and justice intersect in young people’s lives. My research interests include how school structures influence social cognition, how discrimination is experienced and internalized, and what systems can be built to promote resilience and equity.
Student Advocacy
Beyond the classroom and the page, I use writing and public speaking to amplify one central conviction: we can design schools that do no harm. Whether through essays, talks, or dialogue with educators and families, I strive to bring the hidden lessons of schooling into public conversation and to imagine better paths forward.
What I Stand For
- Do no harm. Schools should never wound the children they serve.
- Belonging is power. Every young person deserves to feel safe, seen, and valued.
- When we know better, we do better. Research and practice must respond to lived experiences, not ignore them.
- Justice is developmental. The way we treat students shapes their sense of identity, fairness, and possibility.
- Education is human development. Teaching is not just about content — it is about who students become.
